The present invention relates to a method and system for storing and retrieving collaboratively processed information, and more particularly to a method of storing collaboratively processed information, in which information indicative of the matter or content of execution of a group work held by users is recorded automatically in a database at each execution of a collaborative information process preparatory to information retrieval in the future pertinent to the group work, to a method of retrieving materials pertinent to the group work, and to a system for carrying out these methods, the methods and system being intended for a computer-based remote conference system.
Among conventional collaborative information processing systems such as computer-aided remote conference systems, a system which automatically records the matter or content of a group work for each individual user has not been reported.
In regard to an electronic mail system which is one form of information processing systems of a file transfer type, several mail search methods have been proposed in the past.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open JP-A-4-13836 describes a method of sorting mails on a tree, Japanese Patent Laid-Open JP-A-1-259451 describes a method of appending icons to mails for enhanced visualization, Japanese Patent Laid-Open JP-A-1-261723 describes a method of pictorial disclosure of the matter, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open JP-A-1-261775 describes a method of appending proper document names.
However, these prior art systems do not disclose techniques which are conceivably effective for the sorting of materials used in remote conference systems. Moreover, these prior art systems do not have effective suggestions on the application of the above-mentioned electronic mail search method to a conference system by which users exchange information on a real time basis and a collaborative information processing system which are the aims of the present invention.
Up to date, no one has unveiled a hint of distinguishing automatically the matters of diverse group works held in a remote conference system and recording automatically the matter of the works. In order to review the matter of a conference afterward based on the conventional scheme of information retrieval, it is necessary for each user to describe the matter of the conference or group work as a document intended for retrieval in the same manner as ordinary documents, and register the document, with a proper key word being affixed thereto, to a database.